Social pain: A systematic review on interventions
Brandon M. Brooks, Francisco J. Cordero, Stephen L. Alchermes, Bradley M. Brooks
F1000Research January 10, 2025 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.159561.1 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSocial pain—emotional distress from harm to social connections, such as exclusion or rejection—can intensify physical pain. This systematic review of 14 randomized controlled trials found that acetaminophen, deceptive and open-label placebos, mindfulness training, and psilocybin reduce social pain. Combining acetaminophen with forgiveness was more effective than either alone. Pharmacological interventions target neural pathways shared by physical and social pain. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological options are available for reducing social pain.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Open-label Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Acetaminophen open-label placebo mindfulness training psilocybin forgiveness |
| Keywords | Psychological intervention Medicine Systematic review Randomized controlled trial Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key finding | Acetaminophen, deceptive and open-label placebos, mindfulness training, and psilocybin reduce social pain, and combining acetaminophen with forgiveness yields superior results. |
Abstract
Social pain is emotional distress caused by harm or threat to social connections that results in social exclusion, rejection, or loss. Social Pain is also a potentiator of physical pain. Supportive social relationships are widely recognized for their impact on maintaining health and well-being. The Passion of Jesus Christ serves as a quintessential example of social pain (i.e., desertion, betrayal, denial) potentiating physical pain (i.e., beatings, Crown of Thorns, crucifixion). Christ opts to forgive. Although forgiveness is one solution to reduce social pain, other interventions exist. This review seeks to identify and summarize interventions associated with reducing social pain. We conducted a systematic review using Medline (PubMed), Google Scholar, and Cochrane CENTRAL to identify relevant articles. Results: The database searches produced 548 articles. Fourteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this systematic review. Acetaminophen, both deceptive and open-label placebos, mindfulness training, and psilocybin were found to reduce social pain. Of note, the combination of acetaminophen and forgiveness yielded superior results compared to either acetaminophen or forgiveness alone. Pharmacological interventions operate on the premise that the neural pathways responsible for physical pain also play a role in social pain. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are available for reducing social pain.